Butter Pecan Rum Cake
A moist yellow butter cake soaked in a warm buttered rum sauce and topped with crunchy pecans, this Butter Pecan Rum Cake is easy to make and dangerously easy to eat!
Servings: 12 slices
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- 1/2 cup pecans , chopped small
- 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons vegetable oil , divided
- 2 & 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons cake flour , spooned and leveled
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3.4 ounce box instant pudding (vanilla, coconut, or banana)
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 4 large eggs , room temperature
- 1/2 cup golden or dark rum (I used Bacardi gold)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
FOR THE RUM SYRUP
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 cup water
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup golden or dark rum
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Liberally butter and flour a 12-cup capacity bundt pan, discarding any excess. Place half the chopped pecans evenly into the bottom of the pan, set aside.
- With a hand or stand mixer, cream together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of the oil, flour, baking powder, salt, and instant pudding powder until evenly mixed. (Mixture will look like fine crumbs.) Scrape down bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, rum, vanilla extract, and remaining 1/2 cup vegetable oil. Add to the dry mixture and mix until well combined, scraping down as needed. Dust remaining pecans with a sprinkle of flour and fold into batter. (The batter will be smooth and somewhat thin, it’s ok if a few lumps remain.)
- Pour into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean and dry.
- While the cake bakes, prepare the rum syrup. In a large saucepan combine the butter, water, sugar, salt, and rum. Bring to a simmer and let it reduce slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
- When the cake is done, poke the cake with a thick skewer to create holes for the syrup. Spoon the syrup evenly over the hot cake.
- Cool the cake completely, and invert onto a serving plate. (If it doesn’t come out right away when flipped over, do not force it out! Heat your oven to 350F and warm the cake for 12 minutes. This will release the sticky syrup from the sides of your pan and allow the cake to pop right out.)
- Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Measure the ingredients carefully. There are some very specific measurements in this recipe and it’s important to follow the amounts closely. Too much or too little of any ingredient can affect the texture of the cake.
Nutrition
Calories: 496kcal · Carbohydrates: 61g · Protein: 6g · Fat: 21g · Saturated Fat: 11g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g · Monounsaturated Fat: 6g · Trans Fat: 1g · Cholesterol: 104mg · Sodium: 593mg · Potassium: 236mg · Fiber: 1g · Sugar: 41g · Vitamin A: 582IU · Vitamin C: 0.05mg · Calcium: 100mg · Iron: 1mg